However, the higher authority decided that the few people who were doing these things were enough, and sent the iBooks back to Apple for an "upgrade." This upgrade consisted of installing a new "image" that stops you from installing anything, accessing anything on the internet (thanks to a filter that doesn't recognize the difference between an independant site hosting clever anecdotes from the Shakespeare's Ceasar and an independant site hosting pornography.) Even worse, we can't save anything on the root level of the hard drive or modify the Apple Menu.

While I agree that something needed to be done about the few people who were dumb enough to access porn AT SCHOOL, I don't think that these extremist tactics needed to be implemented. Part of the reason that these changes were brought about was the media. According to the media, every other student was hacking the CIA and/or hosting porn from their computer. No surprise, but the parents of many students objected to their little babies being exposed to these surroundings (because there's no way that their childen would even think about doing anything!)

It's for this reason that HCPS locked the iBooks. However, what this does is actually limits the efficiency of having an iBook for educational purposes. Also, something that I realized is that the new "image" also hurts Apple, Inc. That's right, you heard me.

You see, most people, as you know, use PeeCees. However, the ovbious advantages of Macintoshes became apparent to some students (others saying "****ing Macintoshes, why can't we have DELLs!!!"). Now, with the image, students are learning that Macintoshes are computers on which you cannot do anything, and are impossible to troubleshoot. What a great image for Apple! I'm sure that a high school student hitting an iBook is going to be the new full page color spread in Macworld.

There. That's it. If you actually made it this far, I congratulate you.

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me waits patiently for the Henrico sys admin that posts here to find this thread

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me too... heh heh heh

Yes it is sad that a few bad kids made choices that are making everyone else suffer. Unfortunately that is what societies are like; it takes only a few bad people to harm many good people.

Bottom line is lets face it a few kids complaining about how they are blocked from some sites is not as news worthy as cracking and PrOn. Sure you and I know that the porn nearly all came from cable modems at home, but parents don't care about that, they just want to have the problem solved. The problem has in fact been solved.

I don't have a lot of sympathy anyway; when I was in high school many of my teachers would not let me use my own personal laptop in class at all. Actually it is not strictly true that I don't have sympathy, like most computer geeks I probably would have been one the "problem kids". For that matter do you think I like that when I am in the area, I can't drop by a HCPS school parking lot and check my e-mail wirelessly?

All that being said if you have any constructive advice on how to solve the problems without the lock down, I am sure Apple and Henrico would welcome it. The problem is that although I have heard a lot of gripes about the new system I have not heard any good alternative solutions.

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your mission if you choose to accept it is to bypass teh image, without getting caught. You will have to fake the system out and pull the proverbial cloth over their heads. This message will self destruct in 5 min.

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Well, this is mission semi-hard... nowhere near impossible... and yes, I know how to do it... I just need to do it withought getting caught... ah yes... indeed.

Basicly what you need to do is design an OS or program that recognizes whether you are at school or not. How do we do this, you ask? Well, every school has a network, so the program would just recognize when these networks were in range and lock down the HD so no games or porn at school. Home, however, you're on your own. I'm fairly sure that if deigned properly, this new system could be (I donno how realistic it is...) as uncrackable as the current OS. That's my suggestion... because I miss GIFBuilder and ScriptEditor.

Oh, and for the porn at home issue (which is apparently an issue... shrug), HCPS needs a server with a school (BLOCK EVERYTHING... ha!) and a home (more reasonable) filter.

Sure, this will take some man hours, but for peace between the county, the parents, the media, and the students... I think it's worth it.

because there's been talk of torching mass amounts of little white computers.

------------------
"Hacking is not a
crime... no wait, it is."

I've been supporting Mac users since 1984. And while I certainly appreciate the freedom that Mac OS Classic gives users, from a support perspective, I've recently come to appreciate having the capability to lock down a system, and limit what 'damage' a user can inflict on a system.

Case in point: In our offices, the standard workstation is an iMac. We've revised our "Staff Image" a number of times, and so we have maybe three different versions of systems, from 8.6 through 9.1, to support. In the last iteration, we installed Multiple Users, and set the user up as either a limited or normal user, depending on their job.

Supporting these new users has become much easier than before. They can't install some stupid extension that hoses their systems. They can't delete an important component or even application. And we can make the user's backup simpler by having them store all their documents in the Users>Documents folder, which also prepares them philosphically for OS X's file organization.

Then, over here, someone using one of the older single-user configurations, calls us over... they're having a problem printing from Excel. Off we go to diagnosis land... turns out they've installed all kinds of stuff into the system, including Quake, and a bunch of new extensions that IT hasn't 'approved'. (Please, no flames about "Quake didn't do it" or "who says IT knows best?" - This is a BUSINESS, people!) One of those extensions turned out to be the culprit!

So I have to spend several hours backing up and re-formatting, and upgrading to the multiple-user image, which, if they'd had in the first place, would have saved me those hours to do something productive.

In business, and by extension in education, it makes a degree of sense to have standardized locked-down systems. Easier Admin, Easier Support. You want personalization of your system? Buy one. The school or business has provided you with a tool. Use it as such. Don't gripe.

How many schoolkids would kill to have a free iBook, in any condition?

Be thankful that Henrico is as forward-thinking (Different-Thinking�?) as they are.

Enjoy what you've got.

=bd

When I was in school, we had "stone knives and bearskins."

IIRC Mac Manager 2 has backpack abilities, which something on the same grounds as letting a user take a machine home, but not nearly as a complete solution as what Charisma was talking about.

I do think charisma has a good idea.

Under OS X it shouldn't be hard too hard to have privilege changes occur based on location. OS X has support for a central database of permissions (NetInfo) to exist, and for clients to authenticate against it. All I see that would need to be done is setup the iBoooks to log into the NetInfo server if available (ie, the student is at school) and the NetInfo server provides a set of permissions that allows students to only run approved programs, also setup the network to deny access to machines with certain MAC addresses (like all iBooks given to students) unless they are authenticated with the NetInfo server. When the student is home, and the machien cannot get to get a netinfo server, they get a different set of permissions, which lets them install software, do some configurations, etc. (as long as they don't need admin privileges to do so).

There would have to be some way for the whole "downloading porn and then putting it in their homework folder to smuggle it in" deal, but maybe making an iDisk like setup, and that is the only place students can save / access data while in school works (since they can also access it from home, but it would be under the scrutiny of the admins, which means they may not want to put their porn on it).

Anyway, just my take on the issue.

Constructive idea that isn't necessarily practical given the sheer number of machines: have the iBooks net boot from a MacOS X Server when they're in the school. That way everybody has the same System Folder, applications and permissions. Let the students have slightly more freedom when they're away from school and boot from the hard drive.

Like Geordie said, much of the Pr0n is probably being downloaded via mom and dad's high speed connection at home. Once again the schools are being blamed for a lack of parental supervision.

Charisma, if you think having Dells would allow you more freedom, think again. One of the reasons IT people love Windows is because of all the control it gives them over their users.

you get a free laptop, and you bitch about it. when I was in school, we were learning to program on Apple ][e's. I'm in COLLEGE and I *still* don't have a laptop. Yeah, I'm sorry you have some alteration freedoms blocked. But you're still much better off than millions of college students across the country. Overall, you've got it good, so I dont' feel that bad for you.

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Originally posted by Bregalad:
Like Geordie said, much of the Pr0n is probably being downloaded via mom and dad's high speed connection at home. Once again the schools are being blamed for a lack of parental supervision.

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Originally posted by platypus:
I was going to say, "Holy freaking cow!"

you get a free laptop, and you bitch about it. when I was in school, we were learning to program on Apple ][e's. I'm in COLLEGE and I *still* don't have a laptop. Yeah, I'm sorry you have some alteration freedoms blocked. But you're still much better off than millions of college students across the country. Overall, you've got it good, so I dont' feel that bad for you.

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You dont understand, when they first gave us these comps, we had total freedom, but now, theyve taken it away from us, in dramatic fashion. It would be one thing if we never got computers in the first place, but since we had it, and then had the freedom taken away, it is so much worse. stupid HCPS

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Charisma, if you think having Dells would allow you more freedom, think again. One of the reasons

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not at all! I would much rather have even a locked iBook than Dell... Yick!

And in response to DigitalBill, I understand what heppens when stupid people trash their system by installing extensions. However, (1) I am not a stupid person... and like any other geek, I resent not having control over my OS ans (2)... the control issue has gone so far that we can't even change our backgrounds. Since when have backgrounds ever screwed up a Mac?

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Originally posted by Tau Zero:
And what's wrong or harmful about pr0n?� I find it dull, but a teenager going ga-ga over pixels on a screen isn't out getting STDs.� A sensible parent is not going to make the naked body a mystical, forbidden thing; that's for the religious fanatics who want people to feel guilty about having sexual feelings, so they can increase their own power with the "cures".� The hell with that.

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I never said there was anything wrong with images of the human body. I think Pierre Trudeau said it well: "The government has no place in the bedrooms of the nation."

However, the porn industry is filled with abuses and many of the "models" are trapped there just like most North American prostitutes are slaves to their pimps and/or drug addictions. For every Danni Ashe there are probably five thousand women being taken advantage of. Let's not forget the thriving market for kiddie porn. Don't tell me that depictions of 10 year olds are acceptable.

There is a huge international trade in women. I live in a city where "massage parlours" promise fresh new girls from China or Malaysia every month. Strange how the girls always seem to get deported before they can testify against their old bosses.

Then there are the animal acts. I still remember this guy coming into the computer store where I used to work saying "you won't believe what I found on the internet today". Let's just say I'll never look at Great Danes the same way ever again. YUCK!

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Originally posted by The Lama:
You dont understand, when they first gave us these comps, we had total freedom, but now, theyve taken it away from us, in dramatic fashion. It would be one thing if we never got computers in the first place, but since we had it, and then had the freedom taken away, it is so much worse. stupid HCPS

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no, I understand perfectly. I believe you even said that in your original post. It's still bitching. It's still not an overall perspective.

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Originally posted by platypus:
you get a free laptop, and you bitch about it. ..... Overall, you've got it good, so I dont' feel that bad for you.

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I don't, even for a second, believe that Henrico distributed computers to everyone with a well thought out educational plan in place. This is machismo because they have the money for it.

They have no choice but to have porn restrictive filters in place on all internet access from school. If they don't, they are not eligible for the Federal E-rate plan, so the costs of internet access go up. People don't seem to bitch about the costs of the computers, since that is an ego thing, but they start making noise when the telecom bill skyrockets.

If they require you to use them for school work, then they are obliged to keep them working. That means they have to treat them like a corporation treats it's computers. This means locking out the ability for you to upgrade them.

When you accepted the machine, you accepted it under an agreement. While the machine is in your possession, it is not YOURS to do with as you will.

The controlling entity, the school board, has full rights and responsiblity to limit what you can and cannot do with it. When some machines were used for purposes unacceptable to the school board, changes were made in all machines prevent that happening, and this is well within its rights as the owner of the equipment.

This situation is no different from one being granted the use of a company car. If one employee drinks his lunch and kills a family driving back to work, the company can chose to modify all of the vehicles with a alcohol-breath interlock to prevent operation while intoxicated, because the company is ultimately liable for the actions of its employees and the use of the vehicles. It can grant and/or restrict usage and change any conditions for usage at any time.

The computer was issued to you with certain restrictions and conditions. By accepting the machine, you agree to those conditions which may be modified at any time and without notice.

But to rant and pout about it and "your rights" is pointless--the only rights you have are the rights granted in the agreement. And don't bother replying about "I didn't agree to anything." When you accepted the machine, you agreed to whatever restrictions they choose--or your parents did, because until you reach legal age, you have no say in the matter.

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Originally posted by Charisma:
Oh, and hey, look... 30 more posts and Zorro's a blabbermouth!

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That'll just make it official! He's always been a blabbermouth, but I like him anyway!

When I were a lad we never 'ad no laptops handed to us - we 'ad to make our own from bits of rope and the odd lump of coal that fell off the delivery truck. Internet ! We never 'ad no internet ! The only chatroom we 'ever 'ad was standing by the bike-shed 'aving a crafty fag - and if the 'eadmaster caught us he'd give us fifty lashes with a wet sledgehammer - on the 'ead. Aye, he were cruel but fair. We couldn't run the computers we made anyway as there tweren't no lectricity - and no 'eat - if it got cold you'd 'ave to sling Gran on t'it fire.

And you tell that to lads these days...